Yesterday:

I woke up to the sounds of heavy patter. Not that I was asleep, but half way in trying to.

“Rain…?”

The room was dark and I wondered if it was still night.

I could clearly see the dark sky out the window from the corner of my eye when I turned my head slightly.

I walked up to it and looked out.

The ruin was being bathed by the downpour. Not a single soul was out in the street; only the light from the magic stone lanterns that shone on the glossy cobblestone-like concretes and the rain eradicated its loneliness.

It’s been a while since I saw rain.

That was the thought running through my head as I looked to my right then left to try and tell what time of day it was. I was certain it should have been morning.

To my right, where the sun should have risen from, there was nothing but thick dark clouds and inside them flashes of blue-white; and white-purple that also illuminated the ruin below… Thunder clapped.

To my left I could see the clouds steadily moving, closing in on the horizon, the shade of dull blue in the distant and the pink sun rays that slipped through the gaps in the clouds in that distant led me to believe the sun had risen not long ago. But I was still uncertain if time had passed longer than that since the dark clouds made it seem like it was still night.

I retrieved my sights from observing the clouds and back into the ruins…

My eyes wandered around, watching as the light from the magic stone lanterns faintly bounced around off the walls and street. There I caught a glimpse of the little girl; a building in front of me to my right, ran across the street.

Focusing on her, she stopped right underneath where the collective water poured like a fall. She loosened the rope which held her wet clinging dress to her waist and took the dress off. Without anything under her she stood, naked, facing towards me; and let the harsh water that poured wash away the little filth it could. As she washed down the dirt on her skin she grabbed her dress and did the same in hopes to get out as much grime as she possibly could.

About turning back to my seat then I heard it…

Aaaaaaaaaarhh! A scream— shriek, a woman’s from the sounds of it.

What was that…? Something must have happened.

The little girl got spooked and turned with a jerk to her right—my left, grabbed her dress and sprinted away. A few lights got turned on in the rooms of the buildings below and people started rushing out heading for the place where the cry came from, the building towards my left.

I grabbed my shirt which hung on the chair, slipped into it before heading out and down.

Down the stairs, into the first floor I caught Allora in her work dress holding a magic stone lantern heading for the inn.

I guess the weather doesn’t hinder their work.

At the sound of me coming closer she turned.

“Hunter… Is everything alright?”

So she didn’t hear the voice. I can’t tell her I heard the shriek either, even through the loud rain not to mention from the height I was at.

I wasn’t sure what to say because it’ll raise a lot of questions.

“…” I nod.

I walked by and she followed.

“… If you heading down for something to eat I’m sorry you’re going to have to patient. We slept off on account of the weather.”

“……”

We entered the empty inn greeted by the overturned chairs and the stone lanterns that hung on the pillars.

“Have a seat. I should be done not long.”

With those words I walked over to the counter, pull a stool and sit.

She sets off to start her day at the inn. Starting with sweeping she moved on to overturning the chairs.

As she swept I couldn’t wait any longer. I dropped off the stool and made it to the door.

“Wait, it’s locked.” Allora pointed out.

Just then someone barged in, one of the waitresses, a demihuman tiger girl, soaking wet and out of breath. I wasn’t locked after all.

“Ally it’s happened again.” She said in distraught.

“Nina? Why were you out in the rain? What happened? Hang on a second.” Allora quickly ran to the kitchen.

“You didn’t hear!?”

She returned with a towel and hands it to the demihuman girl called Nina.

“Hear what?”

“Minnoli found one. I came down to get everything started. Just when I was about to starting I heard a scream. I rushed out to go check it out and there it was.”

She heard it because she was close. They both sound vague. Like they know what’s going on.

“Where?”

“Esylit’s place.”

“What now?”

“Nothing we can do. It’s already happened.”

“…Something wrong?” I asked.

“Yes… they err found—corpses… It was a gruesome sight. Dismembered corpses.” Why was she hesitant? Dismembered corpses? For some reason I felt like I needed to check it out.

“Where?”

“Three buildings down across the street.” Answered the demihuman.

I stepped out into the downpour. I looked to my left and saw people gathered out in the rain seemingly watching something. I walked towards them.

I weaved through the small disheartened crowd of civilians and hunters to the front and there I saw the bloody pile of dismembered corpses lying there a few feet into the open under a roof. There were four pairs of limbs among the pile, so four persons torn—clean cuts—limb from limb and yet no heads were to be seen around.

Who could have done this? —As if I had to even ask.

“Does anyone know who they were?”

“I’m not sure.”

The people spoke among themselves trying to figure out who they were.

“We couldn’t find Silana, nor Fane.” Whispered from within the crowd.

“Those idiots! What the hell were they thinking?” Grumbled a hunter from within the crowd.

“What of the other two?”

“Civilians. They’d been seen together at the inn the past few of days.”

Two were hunters and the other two civilians… Could they have been the four who were sitting at the corner yesterday?

The thought crossed my mind. They were the only four that stood out the way they sat, even the words they spoke.

I can’t pick up much of scent, the rain and breeze may be interfering. Or could it be the strong scent still around this whole place? I don’t have anything to tie it to the demon since we are outdoors but there’s no doubt.

Odd… As I stood there no eyes seemed to accuse me for the obvious reason of being new and suspicious in town. That had happened a couple of times on my journey.

There was only one conclusion:

It wasn’t some random thing and it wasn’t the first… so they were aware of the culprit.

Once again I weaved through the crowd and made it back into the inn where the demihuman named Nina was already changed into a new, dry dress and helping Allora ready the place for a day’s work. The chairs were already overturned. She was working on cleaning the tables and Allora the counter.

I walk over to the counter.

Stopping in front of the counter she already reached for a towel from under the counter and stretched her hand out to me.

“Here”

I gesture her that I don’t need it.

“… What happened?”

She’s nervous.

“I—”

Before Allora even opened her mouth to speak the demihuman spoke.

“Accidents happen… It’s not unusual; hunters sometimes take out their frustrations on their comrades and civilians. When they are done they tend to leave the bodies out on display, sick bastards. It’s really quite messy.”

That was quick. If I was any part normal I might have believed them, but… They must have rehearsed it the time I left because it’s a lie. When a person is lying the person body tends to perform involuntary actions; facial muscles tense up, subtle incontrollable muscle movements, breaking out in cold sweat, and the smell of anxiety, fear and not forgetting how her heart rate spiked up. With all those present there was no denying it. They were lying, and not very good at it.

“……”

It doesn’t seem right. Something sinister was at play. I doubt these hunters have the gall to do something outrageous as this…Who knows though, there are still people out there.

Fear... They knew.

Everything started to feel like a bore, I wanted to just go at them and scare the answers out of them but something held me back and before I knew it I turned and went up the stairs, into my room, took my dresses off and hung them on the chair to dry.

I was before the window looking out into ruin below. I just couldn’t block out the thought that it might have been a way to keep people in check. With the reaction I got from them I was in the right… I had no much use of my senses apart from my hearing so I couldn’t really tell anything much but beating hearts don’t lie and those that were present weren’t in the slightest remorseful… just fearful.

Like I feel any different.

○●○

I should leave the little girl to her meal.

Grabbing my jacket which hangs behind me on the chair I head for the door. In one swoop the Jacket was behind me.

“Hey, kid!”

A few steps away I hear a manly voice behind me. It’s not one I am familiar with.

What now?

“I’m talking to you kid! Face me!”

I make a quarter turn before turning to face him. He’s a well built dark skinned man, bald, well kept beard with side burns and taller than I am. Everything about him spells idiocy. There is an Ogre and a manly woman behind him on both sides.

For the record: Ogres are muscle bound Monstrose, with skin that varies from dark red to a lighter shade of red and in a rare few who have human-like skin with a tint of red. They have one or more horns sticking out of their foreheads. They may have muscles but their intellect, so inferior. One more thing even, though they are larger than the average human they come in all shapes—

A last but not the least… a manly woman? An understatement she looked so buff that if not for her face, hair and slight curvature she’d pass off as a man.

Pompous, stupid idiots. What do these buffoons want?

“The likes of you aren’t welcome here!”

The dark skinned man puffed his well toned chest at me. In your head you think we are both hunter, so why am I not welcome here?

“… Why so?”

“You’re barging in on our game and we don’t like it…” Makes no sense.

“…I don’t mean any harm if you’re scared. I’ll be off in a couple of days, rest assured. So you really don’t want anyone picking fights with me.”

I’d rather not talk at all but I don’t want them to keep pestering me.

Guess I struck a nerve. He looks enraged. Every pore of his body is seething with rage. Why should my words vex?

“What d’you say, Smartass? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Said the woman with a man’s body, black single braided hair.

“… Nobody. Now let me be.”

I turn walking away.

“Why you little punk…?”

His heavy footsteps stop as he grabs hold my shoulder halting me.

He quickly lets go of my shoulder to hold his hand with other hand, in pain, sweating.

“What the hell…!”

“What’s wrong…?”

I walk on without looking back.

I can’t help but wonder if it’s right leaving her alone at the table. It feels a bit uncomfortable since I don’t know if they will do to her as they did days before…

The man is being tended to by his friends. He’s side that touched me—half his body—became stiff. They help him up and walk him towards his seat.

“What the hell did you do to him?” The Ogre yelled his first words taking out a machete. Honestly he’s calm for an ogre, they are mostly aggressive. I guess everyone is particular about causing a scene in here or maybe the bounty has got to do something about it.

“… Try that and you’re dead…”

With just a look he’s frozen.

… But why bother a customer whiles they eat? I guess no one will try anything since they know she’s mostly around me. Besides there is someone watching over her.

My eyes shift to Allora before I stop at the entrance to give a quick look at the little girl again…

Everything does seem different; people are merrier than when I first arrived.

Children of all races running, playing with each other. Even the Elven kids, who were proud, even in the state they lived in, decided to join in on the games.

As much as they are under the demons spell it’s weirdly delightful to see them all getting along.

Still shouldn’t normal people feel and or show remorse? Rather they were merry.

Right now I’m not really sure if it’s the effect of the spell that keeps them from feeling remorse or they are just without remorse. Allora and the other girls seemed to be down, with a few select civilians who since I came hadn’t seen at the inn before, did have a dull countenance to themselves…

The only resolve I can consider for them:

Their life goes on whether people live or die. Well even if they wanted to do anything about that, what could they? They are pitted against a demon after all. From what I see these hunters here aren’t up to the task.

I make my way up the street watching the lively shops on each side. The bars are buzzing and merchants are calling out to customers.

The food shop is packed with hungry customers.

Clank… clank… clank.

The slightly lit room reverberated with heavy sounds of hammer hitting metal.

Sparks flew as the bronze skinned smith—a tan he had acquired from years behind the forge—hammered on the hot blade that lay on his anvil.

The forge/workshop was small; a bit hazy from the heat that came from the furnace a few feet from the door.

There was an L shaped wooden counter on the opposite side of the door, hallowed with shelves, inclined and stepped. Overhead hanged utensils on thread stretched along the counter.

Behind the counter was another shelf. It had the shape of L much like the counter, leaning on the very walls the counter did. It held ornaments and other utensils. Not only was he a weapons smith, but also a craftsman.

Wooden and iron mallets, hammers, tongs and other tools were perfectly arranged to the wall beside the counter.

Cling… The doorbell chimed as the door swung open only to be overlapped by the banging of the hammer. Thud… A familiar boot stepped in and the bell chimed again when the door was shut.

The hammer landed on the blade sending sparks into the air. The smith lifted the hammer about to strike the hot metal again when he noticed a customer in the room, the young hunter, before the counter examining the weapons that bed on its shelves.

When did he get in? Must have been lost on the job.

“… What can I do you for, kid?”